IRVINE >> It’s another first for Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff, who will play his first NFL preseason road game at Denver on Saturday. Goff hopes for another first: a successful first drive.

“I’d love to go out there and score a touchdown,’’ Goff said after Thursday’s practice at UC Irvine. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.’’

Thus far, Goff hasn’t come close. On his initial series two weeks ago against Dallas, Goff was hit and threw an interception on his third play. Last Saturday against Kansas City, Goff tripped over a teammate’s foot and fumbled on his second play.

So the bar is low for improvement, but there’s reason to believe Goff could be ready to take a step forward Saturday, even though he’s facing the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos and one of the NFL’s stoutest defenses.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Thursday that, once again, Case Keenum will start at quarterback. The plan is for Keenum to play three or four series, then hand things over to Goff, who likely will play with the first-team offensive line then carry things into the second half with the second team.

That’s when Goff made strides last week. After a sloppy start, Goff looked sharp during the Rams’ game-winning fourth-quarter touchdown drive, when he completed all three attempts and marched the team 67 yards.

“I felt more comfortable toward the end,” Goff said. “I want to build on that in this game and continue to feel as comfortable as I can and get as ready as I can.”

Time is running short in Goff’s bid to supplant Keenum as the Rams’ starting quarterback.

By all indications, the Rams are comfortable going into their Sept. 12 season opener at San Francisco with Keenum as their starter. Fisher and Rams general manager Les Snead consistently have said they will play Goff only when he is ready. Camp practices and preseason games have provided mixed results.

For instance, on Thursday, Goff’s early work included a bad interception by cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, but also a nice touchdown pass to fellow rookie Mike Thomas.

Goff was directly asked Thursday if he would be disappointed if he didn’t start the season opener.

“It’s not up to me,” Goff said. “It’s something that I’d love to do, but it’s not my decision. That’s what they pay the coaches and what they’re here for. I’m just trying to get better every day.”

In preseason work, Goff has completed 12 of 21 attempts for 120 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

There’s a good chance that on Saturday, Goff, the top pick in this year’s draft, will play during the same part of the game as Denver quarterback Paxton Lynch, whom the Broncos selected at No. 26.

Some draft pundits believed the Rams, who initially held the No. 15 pick, might select Lynch, but they made a blockbuster trade with Tennessee to move up to No. 1.

Lynch is in contention to start for the Broncos. In two preseason appearances, he has completed 21 of 33 attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns. This will be the first time Goff is measured, on the field, against one of his contemporaries.

“He’s very competitive,” Fisher said of Goff. “I’ve probably never met a more competitive person. Even though he’s got a quiet demeanor, he’s competitive.”

Calmed down

One day after running back Todd Gurley ended up at the bottom of a pile during a practice fight, the Rams played it cool Thursday, with no incidents, and Gurley shrugged off the scrum.

“Three weeks of camp, stuff gets competitive, but we’re still teammates at the end of the day,” Gurley said. “It’s like growing up, fighting with your brothers. You fight. `You good?’ ‘OK, cool.’ Move on.”

Gurley also had some fun with the segment on the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” in which Fisher told his staff of assistant coaches that Gurley should be protected from injury during practice and not tackled.

“I’ve been telling those boys, ‘Don’t touch me,’” Gurley said with a wry grin. “They touched me. They never did respect.”

Gurley quickly added, “It’s football. I’m always down to get tackled, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

Fisher said he expected his starters to play into the second quarter against Denver, but said there might be a few exceptions. Gurley is likely to be one. He didn’t play against Dallas and played only one series against Kansas City, but he made it count, with four carries for 20 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s getting a lot of great practice reps,” Fisher said. “When we kick off against the 49ers, his reps in the preseason are meaningless.”

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